As the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) in-country visits continue, the SPTO team, in collaboration with the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO), was in Port Vila from July 1 to July 5 to conduct a week-long capacity-building workshop. The workshop focused on the Pacific Tourism Data Initiative and the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard under the Pacific Digital Transformation Project.

Vanuatu is among the ten countries (including Niue, Cook Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Kiribati, Timor Leste, and FSM-Yap) under the PTDI project, which aims to collect and analyse tourism data. The Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard Program plays a vital role in SPTO’s monitoring and evaluation function, which is carried out in three components and sets standards for marketing and sustainable tourism indicators in the Pacific region.

Held at the Grand Hotel in Port Vila, the workshop was attended by fifteen participants from the Vanuatu Tourism Office, Department of Tourism, Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics, Department of Immigration, and the Ministry of Trade and Commerce. The workshop aimed to strengthen digital data collection and reporting for the tourism sector. By the end of the week, participants are expected to possess the essential skills to foster impactful research outcomes within Vanuatu’s tourism sector.

Warren Gama, Manager Business Intelligence at the Vanuatu Tourism Office, emphasized the importance of being proactive and capable of designing and conducting quality research and data analysis that will provide relevant information for government and stakeholders in Vanuatu on the impacts of the tourism sector, particularly its socio-economic role.

Mr. Gama highlighted the significance of understanding communities’ willingness to engage in tourism by showing how it contributes to the economy, preserves culture, and supports environmental conservation efforts.

Vanuatu Department of Immigration Data Processing Officer Christine Tasale said she looks forward to enhancing her skills in data analysis in the travel and tourism industry at the end of the five-day workshop. This will enable her to understand customer behavior, preferences, and trends using the statistical analysis software.

SPTO Board Chairperson and Vanuatu Tourism Office Chief Executive Officer Issachar Aru commended SPTO’s sustainable regional tourism efforts.

“As the CEO of the Vanuatu Tourism Office and Chair of the SPTO Board of Directors, I hope to lift the profile and work of Vanuatu and our tourism experiences through a stronger set of digital sets of data and insights through a dashboard that will assist our officials and stakeholders to better measure the benefits of tourism and its impact to the greater socio-economy of Vanuatu. Collaboration and forging robust partnerships are crucial to the success of Vanuatu and regional tourism,” Ms. Aru said.

SPTO Chief Executive Officer Christopher Cocker stated that the capacity-building workshop in Vanuatu reaffirms SPTO’s commitment to enhancing the proficiency of Research Officers in utilising statistical analysis software (Survey Monkey, SPSS, and NVIVO), which has been made possible through funding assistance from the New Zealand government.

“Implementing the Digital Measurement and Benchmarking Dashboard and the Pacific Tourism Statistics Strategy are activities under SPTO’s Research and Statistics division. The workshop is important in achieving these activities as it drives insightful research outcomes within the Vanuatu tourism sector. Therefore, data collaboration is equally important in successfully executing this activity,” Mr. Cocker said.

The PTDI project supports evidence-based planning and decision-making. Its components include the creation of a bi-annual International Visitor Survey (IVS), an annual Business Confidence Index (BCI), and an annual Community Attitude Survey (CAS) report. These reports offer crucial insights into community awareness and attitudes toward tourism.